Hinge for waffle irons



April 21, l1931. A BERs-TED ETL 1,801,260

HINGE FOR WAFFLE IRONS 'Filed Aug. 29, 1928 VENEZ-F75 Patented Apr. 2l, 1931 .1

UNITED STATES ALFRED BERSTED AND MARTIN BERSTED, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS HINGE FOR WAEFLE IRONS Application filed August 29, 1928. Serial No. 302,729.

' This invention relates to improvements in electric cooking appliances such as waflie irons and the like, having two sections each *y electrically heated and connected by suitable hinge means.

It is an object of this invention to provide simple and satisfactory means for protecting and concealing the connecting wires between the sections independent of the hinge means.

Other and further important objects o1 this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying drawings.

This invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawings:

p q Figure 1 is a plan View of a waile iron constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a section on the line II-II of Figure 1.

l p Figure 3 is a section on the line III-III of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section on the IV--IV of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section similar to Figure 4 showing the hinge only.

i As shown on the drawings:

The waffle iron, as a whole, is shown in Figure 1, and comprises the usual base 1, top and bottom sections 2 and 3. The bottom section is provided with handles 4 by means of which the iron may be lifted.

The top and bottom sections are hingedly connected and the top section is provided with a handle 5 by which it may be tilted as shown in Figure 4.

The hinge connection comprises a pair of apertured lugs 6 which are secured to the top section, and a U-shaped hood member 7 having aligned apertures in the sides thereof and terminating in outwardly turned flanges 7 a through which the screws 8a extend and by means of which the member is secured to the lower section. A hinge pin 8, which extends through the aforementioned apertures, pivotally connects the lugs 6 and member 7. 50 The outerl side of the member 7 is provided with an aperture 9 for guiding a conventional plug (not shown) which may be inserted therethrough for making electrical connections with the terminals 10.

A terminal supporting member 10a is dis- 55 posed within the member 7 and secured to the lower section by means of the screws 8a which also pass through flanges 11a which are integrally formed on the lateral sides thereof and extend between the flanges 7a 60 and the wall of the bottom section 3.

The terminals 10, which extend through the terminal supporting member and are insulated therefrom in any well known manner.` are rigidly held in a position normal to said member by means of nuts 16 between which the terminal supporting member 10a is clamped. An additional nut is provided on the inner end of each terminal to facilitate the. making of electrical connections thereto. Since it is desirable to have the terminal supporting member lie against the wall of the lower section, apertures 12a are provided therein for receiving the inner ends of the terminals. d

The upper portion of the terminal supporting member is formed into a hood 15 having'in general a circular cross section, as shown in Figure 2, said hood being concentric and in spaced relationship to the hinge pin 8. This hood serves to protect and conceal from View the electrical conductors 13 which extend from the terminals 10, around the hinge pin 8 and through apertures 18a in the upper part of the hood 15, thence to the heating element 14 in the upper section. Conductors 11 connect the terminals 10 with the heating element in the lower section.

By providing an independent terminal supporting member as hereinbefore described, the replacement of terminals which have become worn through use is greatly facilitated. The screws 8a may be taken out and the member 7 together with the terminal supporting member 10a may then be swung outwardly, this movement causing the inner ends of the terminals to be withdrawn from the apertures 12a sufficiently to permit the electrical connections to be removed therefrom and the terminals to be removed from 10o the terminal supporting member. New terminals can then be secured in place, the electrical connections re-established and the parts again secured in operable position.

Another hood member 17 is secured to the upper section by screws 18 which extend through integrally formed lateral flanges 18a. rlhe hood 17 extends downwardly in Such a manner that the lower portion thereof normally fits within the upper portion of the hood member 7. It is to be noted that the hood member 17 will move into the hood member 7 when the upper section 2 is upwardly rotated about the hinge pin 8V.

This invention therefore provides an improved means for protecting and concealing the electrical connections which go to the heating element in the upper section, said means being independent of the hinge means.

We are awarey that many changes may be made, and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and we, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon, otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

We claim as our invention 1. In an electrical cooking device, a pair of cooking sections, a pair of terminals, a hood extending over said terminals and having side flanges secured to said bottom section, lugs secured to the top section, a hinge pin passing through apertures in said side flanges and said lugs,l a second hood of generally circular form surrounding said hinge pin and carrying said terminals on its lower portion, said hood being secured to the lower section, and flexible conductorsV extending from said terminals to the top section and passing through apertures in said second hood.

2. In" an electrical vcooking device, a pair of cooking sections, terminals connected to the bottom section, a hood extending over said terminals having' an 'aperture in the front opposite said terminals and side flanges secured tosaid bottom section', lugs secured to said top section, a hinge pin passing through apertures in said'side flanges and said lugs, a second hood of generally circular form within the first hood and between said lugs, and surrounding the hingepin, flexible conductors extending from 'said terminals to the top section passing through apertures in saidvsecond hood, and a third hoodsecured tothe top section extending outwardly and downwardlyover the second hood with its lower margin within the first hood.

3. In an electrical device, a lower heating section-having a hood, an upper heating section having a hood adapted for fitting into tion surrounding said pivot means for conducting flexible wire connections from said terminals to said upper section` 4. In an electrical device, a lower heating section having a hood, an upper heating section having a hood fitting into said lower hood,.lugs attached to said upper section within its hood, a pivot pin extending through apertures in said lower hood and said lugs, a pair of terminals, and a terminal support attached tothe lower section having guidingv means for flexible conductors from said terminals to the upper section.

5. ln an electrical device, a lower heating section having a hood, an upper heating section having a hood fitting intothe lower hood, pivot means connecting said hoods, a pair of terminals, and a terminal support attached to the lower section within its hood and having an upper cylindrical portion sur; rounding said vpivot means for concealing flexible conductors extending from said term.- inals tol said vupper section.-

ln testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names.

ALFRED --BERSTED- MARTIN BERSTED.

thel lowerfhood by a turning movement of f the upper hood, pivot means connecting said hoods, a pair of terminals, and a terminal support attached to the lower section within its 110,0@ ,and having an upper cylindrical lpor- 

